Pivoted step for passenger-cars.



G. B. KOHLER.

PIVOTED STEP FOR PASSENGER CARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. I913- ]L,]L@%,363. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. B. KOHLER.

PIVOTED STEP FOR PASSENGER CARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-5. I913. 1,16%,363. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

of the passenger car.

FFTTJ.

GEORGE B. KO'B'LER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE J. G.

BRILL COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

PIVOTED STEP FORPASSENGER-CARS.

" Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1%, 15115.

Original application filed. April 9, 1913, SeriaLNo. 759,980. Divided;and. this appIication filed August 6, 1913. Serial No. 783,389.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. Koi-ILnR, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Pivoted Steps for Passenger-Oars, (being a division ofapplication Serial No. 759,980, filed April 9, 1913,) of which thefollowing is a specification. I

This invention relates to certain improvements in mechanism foroperating a step or steps at the side of a passenger car, preferably inconjunction with the means for operating the doors which closethepassage to and from the platform of the car. I V

The object of my invention is to simplify theconstruction of the meansfor operating the step so that it can be raised or lowered from theconductors or motormans station on the platform or car body.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation on theline aa, Fig. 2; illustrating my improved step operating means; Fig. 2is a sectional plan viewbn the line b?), Fig. 1, with a portionoftheplatform broken away to illustrate the cams; Fig. 3 is an invertedplan view of the cams for moving the step; Fig. 41- is a perspectiveview of the cams and connecting rods; Fig. 5 is an inverted plan viewillustrating the step operating cams; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan viewshowing the mechanism in the position in which the step is partlylowered and one door is partly closed; and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic planview showing both doors full open and the step lowered.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the body 2 is the platform and 3 and 1are the doors at one side of the platform. These doors may be at eitherthe forward end of the platform where the conductor or motorman whooperates them is stationed, or they may be located at the rear platformor at the center of the car, if desired. vIn the present instance, thedoors extend the full length of the platform and the ingress passagewayis separated from the egress passageway by a vertical post 5 and rail 6.The device in this case is operated by the conductor. At or about thecenter of the platform is a vertical shaft 7 mounted in a bearing 8 inthe floor 9 and a bearing 10 on the rail 6. This shaft has an operatinghandle ll-of the Ordinary type and secured to the lower end of the shafts acam 12 which controls the door operatmg mechanism. The door 3 ismounted on a vertical pivot 13. This door, in the present instance, ismade in two sections. Thesectrons are'connected together by hinges andthe outer section is guided at the upper end so'that the doors fold, asillustrated by dotted l nes, Fig. 2 and in full lines Fig. 7, but asingle door may he used without departing from the essential features ofthe invention. The door4- is mounted on a 'similarpivot 13 andmay bedouble, the same as the door 3. Secured to the lower-end of each pivotrod 13 is an arm 14 located below the platform -9 and connected to eacharm is a rod15 provided with a head 16 having an elongated slot thereinand the shaft 7 extends through the slot, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Oneach head 16 is a roller 17 which projects into the slot ofthe cam 12which is secured to the shaft 7 so that, when the cam is moved,longitudinal movement is imparted to each head 16 and the doors areopened or closed. This construction is fully described and claimed in anapplication for patent filed by me on the 9th day of April, 1913, underSerial N 0. 759,980, of which this is a division.

The cam is so proportioned that when the shaft is turned in onedirection one door will be opened in advance of the other according tothe direction in which the shaft is turned, see Fig. 6, as, in someinstances, it is desired to open one door and to allow the other door toremain closed. When it is desired to open both doors the cams are turneda full half revolution Fig. 7, but when they are turneda quarterrevolution only one door will be opened while the other door will remainin the closed position, as mentioned above.

Extending under both doors is a step 18 pivoted at 19 to a'bracket'20and on the shaft 7 directly under the cam l2,is another cam 21, asclearly shown in Fig. 3. On the pivot 19 is an arm 22 to which isconnected a rod 23 attached at 24; to a sliding slotted rod 25 adaptedto suitable hearings on the under side of the car platform. A. spring 26on an extension of this rod is'located between the bearing 27 and a head28 on the extension, as illustrated inlFig. l, and acts as acounterbalance for the step.

29 is a roller on the rod which extends into the slot of the cam 21. Theextension of the shaft 7 passes through the slot in the rod 30 and actsas a guide for the rod. The rod is held in place by a plate 31 in whichthe end of the shaft 7 is mounted. The cams are so shaped that on thefirst movement of the shaft 7 in one direction'to open one door the step18 will be lowered and when moved in the opposite direction to opentheother door the step 18 will also be lowered. The

cams are so proportioned that when the doors are in the open positionthe step will not be raised until the doors are closed, or

partly closed, according to the set and shape of the cams.

In order to lock the doors in the closed position and the-step in theraised position,

7 I notch the cams 12 and 21 so that the rollers on the slotted rodswill rest in these notches whcn the doors are closed and the step is'aised.

The rollers are held in the notches due to the flexibility of theconnecting rods. I have described the rods having rollers extending intothe slots in the cams, but it will be understood that in some instancesthe pins may not be provided with a roller. It willthus be' seen that Iam enabled to use a single step in front of two doors and so' that thestep will be moved into position on the first movement of either door soas to provide a broad step for passengers to enter or leave the car,avoiding the liability of a passenger missing the step which sometimesoccurs when a narrow step is used at each dooiu,

i The invention can be carried out to operate a step in front of asingle door, but usually, in passenger cars of the present type,

ating shaft extending through the platform;

a cam on said shaft having a groove; a sliding rod having a slot thereinthrough which the shaft extends; a roller on the rod extending into thegroove of the cam; a spring on the. rod located between a bearing and ahead on the rod; a rod connected to the slotted rod and to an arm on thepivoted step so that, as the cam is turned, the step will be raised orlowered.

3. The combination in a passenger car, of

a platform; a door located at the edge of the platform; a step pivotallymounted at the side of the platform; an operating shaft extendingthrough the platform and having two cams thereon; means actuated by oneof said cams and connected to the door, whereby the door is operated;and means actuated by the other cam and connected to the step so thatwhen the cam is turned the door will be opened and the step will belowered or the door will be closed and the step will be raised.

4. The combination of two doors; pivots therefor, said doors beingarranged side by side; a step pivotally mounted and extending below thedoors; an ope 'ating shaft having two grooved cams thereon, one-half ofeach cam being a duplicate of the other half; rods having rollersengaging one of said cams; each rod being connected to a door; and asingle red connected to the step and having a roller extending into thegroove in the other cam, the parts being so proportioned that when theoperating shaft is turned one-fourth of a revolution in one direction toopen one door in advance of the other, the step will be lowered and willremain lowered until the other door is opened and if the shaft is turnedin the opposite direction the last mentioned door will be opened and thestep will be lowered followed by the opening or the other door.

5. The combination in a door and step operating means, of two doors; astep common to both doors; a single handle; and means connecting thehandle to the doors and step sorthat either door may be operated inadvance of the other and the step will be operated with either door.

(3. The combination in a door and step operating means, of two doors; asingle shaft; means for turning the shaft; means actuated by the shaftand connected to the doors; a step common to both doors and alsoconnected to the shaft so that either door may be operated in advance ofthe other according to the direction of movement of the shaft, the stepbeing operated with either door.

7. In a passenger car in combination, a. platform; separate entrance andexit side doors for said platform; a movable step; means to operate eachside door independently; and connections from said means to said stepwhereby the step will be moved to operative position whenever either orboth doors are opened.

8. In a passenger car in combination; a platform; separate entrance andexit side doors for said platform; a movable step; means to operate eachside door independently; connections from said means to said stepwhereby the step will be moved to operative position whenever either orboth doors are opened; and means to move said step to inoperativeposition when the second door is closed.

9. The combination of a Vertical shaft; a

grooved cam thereon, one Wall of the cam In testimony whereof, I havesigned my being notched; a pivoted step a sliding rod name to thisspecification, in the presence of having a pin engaging the cam andarranged two subscribing Witnesses.

to enter the notch; means connecting the rod GEORGE B. KOHLER. With thestep, the pin being located in the Witnesses:

notch when the step is in the raised posi- HENRY C. Esmns,

tion. H. F. MCKiLLIP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

